Rare Course Manager, Hari Kushardanto, got a chance to visit Rare Pride Campaign Manager Agus Wiyono in East Java Indonesia, and see the band Suket Teki perform.
Camat, a young man from Dayurejo Village, never thought he’d be recognized because of a conservation song. This long haired young man was simply motivated by a challenge from Rare Pride Campaign Manager Agus Wiyono of the Kaliandra Sejati Foundation, who asked him to make a conservation song about protecting the Grand Forest Park from forest fires, something that often happens in the area. In the beginning, Agus was in doubt that this young man and his band could make a song because they’re not professional musicians. They make their daily living as farmers, grass harvesting workers, or in other agricultural jobs. Playing music was only a hobby for them.
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Camat, the song’s composer from the band Suket Teki [Photo by: Hari Kushardanto/Rare]
But, by the end, they made three songs. Not only that, Camat and his band, Suket Teki, recorded a CD with support from Yayasan Kaliandra. Agus and the Kaliandra Sejati Foundation then distributed the CDs to groups of farmers in two target villages: Desa Dayurejo and Desa Jatiarjo.
Suket Teki and their song are now famous in the community. Many people ask them to perform live at weddings or music events. They were also asked by Pasuruan Forest Service (Dinas Kehutanan Pasuruan) to sing their song at a national reforestation week event, where many government officials attended. The band had also performed at an event where the Head of Pasuruan District of East Java Province attended. The Head of The Pasuruan District, impressed by their performance, spontaneously rewarded them for their accomplishment. For the community of Dayurejo and Jatiarjo, they are surely celebrities now.
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Camat and his band Suket Teki, with Agus Wiyono (Yayasan Kaliandra) and Hari Kushardanto (Rare) [Photo by: Hari Kushardanto/Rare]
Nevertheless, besides those achievements the most important thing is that their songs have made a change. From radio play to live events, their conservation song is heard by thousands of people in Indonesia. The song sends an important message about saving the Great Forest Park. Their song has contributed to a significant decrease of fires in the area, compared with the number of forest fires in 2006. Camat and the rest of the Suket Teki band are now conservation activists. They comprehend and practice what they sing in their song by partaking in conservation activities, and always reminding the people in the villages about the dangerous consequences of forest fires.